Saturday, June 12, 2010
In touch in Ukraine
This is Jennifer...I have been silent since we left Kiev because we have been using Victor's modem and internet connectivity has been touch and go. Between Victor and Terry using the modem for work, I don't get to blog much since we left Kiev. I can say I have finally adjusted to Ukraine time, love the country for the most part and I am having a great time! I am getting to know Alina and loving it! She is a very active girl to say the least! I see parts of her that each kid back home will like. She wears camoflauge pants like Zack, paints her nails like Cecilia, likes to have her picture taken like Taylor and likes to run around like Jessica. She will be a good fit. We are still pursuing a boy, but more on that later. It is in the works and God is good!
Friday, June 11, 2010
A day of fun and exhaustion!
The day started with phone alarms and windup clocks ringing at 6:30. We were expecting our cab at 7:00. We moved a little sluggishly, and Jennifer was dying for an extra 10 minutes. I was also, but I had a few Tylenol PMs and slept much sounder so I was able to get dressed and ready quicker. We got a call that the driver was on the way, so counted money, thought about what we needed, etc and out the door we went. Down stairs, we thought Vlad was going to take us to the orphanage, but instead, Ekatarina was already in the cab with her son Mark. So we jumped in and off to the town square were busses were dropping off kids. We parked and spent some time trying to figure out what was up at the park. It seems that the kids take the cross town buss to the square and charter busses pick them up from there to get to the water park.
Once all the kids were on the bus, we loaded into the taxi and attempted to warp space and time. I was used to not wearing a seat belt, etc in Ukraine. After all, here, you may actually be safer to be thrown clear. But this time Vlad pointed and ensured that I buckled up. That should have been a clue!
We went off into to country side as if we were trying to get to a hospital. I loved it… Jennifer… Nyet. Along the way, we got to know Mark and talk with Ekatarina and Vlad. We had lots of fun with translations and teaching us Russian. My favorite was my lesion on Kleb (жлеб) Because she tilted her head WAY back so I could see where her tongue was when she said Kleb, macking the ‘X’ and the ‘L’ sound at the same time. We discussed the Ukraine country side, Vlads driving excitement, and much more. Mark was an impressive 11 year old. He speaks Russian, but has basic Italian and English down real well. Don’t be afraid to talk to this guy. Ekatarina was very sweat… she said “Terry, you are a good man. Most people come hear and never learn of Ukraine, or speak with us. But you chatiyet (read), and ask Shto-eta ee Ruski (what is it in Russian) always. Most of it was in English, but it made me feel good knowing that she sees that I care about her, Alina, and the people. She’s awesome!
We stopped for (of all things) pizza about 2/3 the way there. It was real good! Made Pow-Wow look real bad. They also made crepes there (didn’t have any, but what an unexpected thing). We read signs and did some translating on Vlads hand held translator. He needs it because he works exclusively for Victor when he is in town and Victor brings him all these foreigners.
We got there and seen this huge Water Park, then we drove past and was challenged for tolls at a road. I didn’t know what was up and we paid the toll, drove down, got turned around and lost. Ekatarina got out and walk through a bunch of beach houses. Vlad said it was Africa and parked in the shade. Ekatarina came back and took us to a beach house to change. It was funny, she kept talling me to take off my pants, the blushed and covered her face. Then I realized… I am wearing and American swim suit. The ones in Ukraine are basic thongs… so I tugged at my suit and said, Nyet Ekatarina… American Plavi-oot suit. Made the little dive gestured and she got it. She did the same for Jennifer’s modest 1-piece, and Jennifer did the same. This would come back again later.
We then left in the cab, fought the toll guys again and got to the park. The kids were off the bus. We sped to be sure we could eat and check Ekatarina in to the beach house before the kids got there. We all went in, we were the only English speaking folks there, and got lost a few times in the crowd. There was all kinds of fanfair and commotion. This was one of those events Ukraine does for the orphans. They danced for them, told jokes, etc. They filmed EVERYTHING and made the kids day.
We watched Alina and her friends eat since we had already and we went swimming as soon as they were done. We felt the icy water and waited. I said I have to jump, or I cannot get in so I jumped in. When I came up, cold was a bit of a shock, but then I realized why the water was greenish… it was salty… it was fresh sea water pumped right from the sea next door. COOL! Splash splash…. Play play… hey, who would of thought all the kids would want to see me make cannon balls.
We played and went down a slide that she did, but stopped because the orphans were there and we didn’t want to get in the way. Alina laid on a cot, rolled over and squealed (yes, squealed) “Peat-zzzzzahhh!”. That I responded with dazed and confused reactions and then seen she was pointing at a pizza place on the other side of the lazy river. I said Nyet (she just ate!)… and she squealed louder…. So I said NYET Alina, no Pizza! Then she looked all pouty and said quietly “Pizza?” and I said “You want Pizza?” and she said “Dah, please… pizza?”. AWESOME! She can be tamed… so I said dah and we went over, but they were not serving and we looked other places and I bought some water for them, gave her a huge and said Spaseba PLEASE pizza, looked into her eyes and gave thumbs up to her. She smiled and hugged me. It was cool… Wish I could say there was no other such event, but, hey, Rome was not built in a day. I am looking forward to the journey ahead.
Later we ate with what was going to be Alina, but too many girls and I let her eat with her friends and Jennifer and I ate with Ekatarina and Mark. We had fun translating the food and passing off tomatoes that I don’t like and the meat that he didn’t like. COOL! This is fun. Mark is very smart. I am sure Ekatarina is quite proud of him.
We stood around hug’n and such while kids were photographed and they had a show. There was a boy that I noticed had scraped his elbow so I asked Jennifer if she still had the bandaids we brought in our fanny packs and we broke some out. I took out some hand sanitized… walked to the crowd where he was, knelt down, pointed to him and did the finger curl to call him to me. I checked his elbows and found the scrap. It was rough! So I put some sanitizer on my hands, looked at him and said OW! OW! OW! To let him know it was coming, then blew on it while he made faces, put the bandage on and gave him a bear hug. It was then that I realized I was central forum like I was doing a triple bypass with a q-tip, salad tongs, and a stapler… all these kids moved back and then rushed him like he had a golden bandage and they all had to see it. I realized, then, that they probably never get care for minor abrasions.
Later I seen him at the bus with one of the teachers looking at it with some kids. Ekatarina was there, I pointed and said “is that alright?”, she said it was, and seemed happy again. The kids were all standing for 10-15 minutes… and I seen they were trying to repair the engine on the bus… I mean, oil everywhere, and sledge hammering the thing to knock bad parts out. It was like real clear this thing was done. The kids had a few bottles of water and it’s a 3 hour ride for them, so I went across the street to a gas station to buy some banaqua and they didn’t sell anything to drink. It’s cool to go to a water park where they don’t have a gift shop or a retail store, but MAN we needed sun screen and bottled water.
So I came back and Ekatarina was looking for me so we could go. We drove to the beach house and I asked if I could get the kids water or soda and she said water, maybe soda… no juice, to much… uh…uh… “sucrose?”… DAH, sucrose. Okay, best things to give children, in order of value: water, soda, then juice. I may have flipped the last two but “in rome”.
So I got some of each. Jen and I took them to the teachers. Jen had the easy job of giving some to the teacher. I got to fight Alina off the bottle that she was claiming as my gift to her. I gave it to the teacher and gestured to Alina by pointing at her with both fingers, then open them up to point to everyone and she got it, nodded, and we hugged.
Okay, off to Zap again… long drive, bathroom fiasco, and we made it back in about 2-1/2 hours. What an adventure. We came in, spoke to Victor who had been working all day at the apartment and the orphanage. He seen Illiah, Dema, and some boys we were considering. Tomorrow we have some work to do and Sunday it’s off to Kiev! Does it ever stop? I hope not… that means were not getting anywhere.
I am beat, but, let me tell you about something. There is a girl from Maldovia that we met. We will be seeing her tomorrow. Our hearts are twisting… she’s an amazing 14 year old. We did not see her last year, but she’s been there for 2 years. We are seeking a boy right now, but if the winds change direction, she would be a real delight to have in any family. If anybody reading this blog would like to host her for the Christmas break, you would be so blessed. Her photo is on my FB page, but I will not give any more information unless you are serious, because she is precious, a real gem! Just dropping the line… it may not be there in a month if God takes us that direction though, because we are serious in considering her as Alina’s sister.
Okay, goodnight from Ukraine!
Терри Стеен
Once all the kids were on the bus, we loaded into the taxi and attempted to warp space and time. I was used to not wearing a seat belt, etc in Ukraine. After all, here, you may actually be safer to be thrown clear. But this time Vlad pointed and ensured that I buckled up. That should have been a clue!
We went off into to country side as if we were trying to get to a hospital. I loved it… Jennifer… Nyet. Along the way, we got to know Mark and talk with Ekatarina and Vlad. We had lots of fun with translations and teaching us Russian. My favorite was my lesion on Kleb (жлеб) Because she tilted her head WAY back so I could see where her tongue was when she said Kleb, macking the ‘X’ and the ‘L’ sound at the same time. We discussed the Ukraine country side, Vlads driving excitement, and much more. Mark was an impressive 11 year old. He speaks Russian, but has basic Italian and English down real well. Don’t be afraid to talk to this guy. Ekatarina was very sweat… she said “Terry, you are a good man. Most people come hear and never learn of Ukraine, or speak with us. But you chatiyet (read), and ask Shto-eta ee Ruski (what is it in Russian) always. Most of it was in English, but it made me feel good knowing that she sees that I care about her, Alina, and the people. She’s awesome!
We stopped for (of all things) pizza about 2/3 the way there. It was real good! Made Pow-Wow look real bad. They also made crepes there (didn’t have any, but what an unexpected thing). We read signs and did some translating on Vlads hand held translator. He needs it because he works exclusively for Victor when he is in town and Victor brings him all these foreigners.
We got there and seen this huge Water Park, then we drove past and was challenged for tolls at a road. I didn’t know what was up and we paid the toll, drove down, got turned around and lost. Ekatarina got out and walk through a bunch of beach houses. Vlad said it was Africa and parked in the shade. Ekatarina came back and took us to a beach house to change. It was funny, she kept talling me to take off my pants, the blushed and covered her face. Then I realized… I am wearing and American swim suit. The ones in Ukraine are basic thongs… so I tugged at my suit and said, Nyet Ekatarina… American Plavi-oot suit. Made the little dive gestured and she got it. She did the same for Jennifer’s modest 1-piece, and Jennifer did the same. This would come back again later.
We then left in the cab, fought the toll guys again and got to the park. The kids were off the bus. We sped to be sure we could eat and check Ekatarina in to the beach house before the kids got there. We all went in, we were the only English speaking folks there, and got lost a few times in the crowd. There was all kinds of fanfair and commotion. This was one of those events Ukraine does for the orphans. They danced for them, told jokes, etc. They filmed EVERYTHING and made the kids day.
We watched Alina and her friends eat since we had already and we went swimming as soon as they were done. We felt the icy water and waited. I said I have to jump, or I cannot get in so I jumped in. When I came up, cold was a bit of a shock, but then I realized why the water was greenish… it was salty… it was fresh sea water pumped right from the sea next door. COOL! Splash splash…. Play play… hey, who would of thought all the kids would want to see me make cannon balls.
We played and went down a slide that she did, but stopped because the orphans were there and we didn’t want to get in the way. Alina laid on a cot, rolled over and squealed (yes, squealed) “Peat-zzzzzahhh!”. That I responded with dazed and confused reactions and then seen she was pointing at a pizza place on the other side of the lazy river. I said Nyet (she just ate!)… and she squealed louder…. So I said NYET Alina, no Pizza! Then she looked all pouty and said quietly “Pizza?” and I said “You want Pizza?” and she said “Dah, please… pizza?”. AWESOME! She can be tamed… so I said dah and we went over, but they were not serving and we looked other places and I bought some water for them, gave her a huge and said Spaseba PLEASE pizza, looked into her eyes and gave thumbs up to her. She smiled and hugged me. It was cool… Wish I could say there was no other such event, but, hey, Rome was not built in a day. I am looking forward to the journey ahead.
Later we ate with what was going to be Alina, but too many girls and I let her eat with her friends and Jennifer and I ate with Ekatarina and Mark. We had fun translating the food and passing off tomatoes that I don’t like and the meat that he didn’t like. COOL! This is fun. Mark is very smart. I am sure Ekatarina is quite proud of him.
We stood around hug’n and such while kids were photographed and they had a show. There was a boy that I noticed had scraped his elbow so I asked Jennifer if she still had the bandaids we brought in our fanny packs and we broke some out. I took out some hand sanitized… walked to the crowd where he was, knelt down, pointed to him and did the finger curl to call him to me. I checked his elbows and found the scrap. It was rough! So I put some sanitizer on my hands, looked at him and said OW! OW! OW! To let him know it was coming, then blew on it while he made faces, put the bandage on and gave him a bear hug. It was then that I realized I was central forum like I was doing a triple bypass with a q-tip, salad tongs, and a stapler… all these kids moved back and then rushed him like he had a golden bandage and they all had to see it. I realized, then, that they probably never get care for minor abrasions.
Later I seen him at the bus with one of the teachers looking at it with some kids. Ekatarina was there, I pointed and said “is that alright?”, she said it was, and seemed happy again. The kids were all standing for 10-15 minutes… and I seen they were trying to repair the engine on the bus… I mean, oil everywhere, and sledge hammering the thing to knock bad parts out. It was like real clear this thing was done. The kids had a few bottles of water and it’s a 3 hour ride for them, so I went across the street to a gas station to buy some banaqua and they didn’t sell anything to drink. It’s cool to go to a water park where they don’t have a gift shop or a retail store, but MAN we needed sun screen and bottled water.
So I came back and Ekatarina was looking for me so we could go. We drove to the beach house and I asked if I could get the kids water or soda and she said water, maybe soda… no juice, to much… uh…uh… “sucrose?”… DAH, sucrose. Okay, best things to give children, in order of value: water, soda, then juice. I may have flipped the last two but “in rome”.
So I got some of each. Jen and I took them to the teachers. Jen had the easy job of giving some to the teacher. I got to fight Alina off the bottle that she was claiming as my gift to her. I gave it to the teacher and gestured to Alina by pointing at her with both fingers, then open them up to point to everyone and she got it, nodded, and we hugged.
Okay, off to Zap again… long drive, bathroom fiasco, and we made it back in about 2-1/2 hours. What an adventure. We came in, spoke to Victor who had been working all day at the apartment and the orphanage. He seen Illiah, Dema, and some boys we were considering. Tomorrow we have some work to do and Sunday it’s off to Kiev! Does it ever stop? I hope not… that means were not getting anywhere.
I am beat, but, let me tell you about something. There is a girl from Maldovia that we met. We will be seeing her tomorrow. Our hearts are twisting… she’s an amazing 14 year old. We did not see her last year, but she’s been there for 2 years. We are seeking a boy right now, but if the winds change direction, she would be a real delight to have in any family. If anybody reading this blog would like to host her for the Christmas break, you would be so blessed. Her photo is on my FB page, but I will not give any more information unless you are serious, because she is precious, a real gem! Just dropping the line… it may not be there in a month if God takes us that direction though, because we are serious in considering her as Alina’s sister.
Okay, goodnight from Ukraine!
Терри Стеен
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The day of “yes”…
We pulled into Zaporiziyah this morning at about 7:00. It was great! I love the train so much. There is nothing better than watching the countryside go by and feel that nostalgic click-clack of the rails and the jostling of the car.
We followed the plan almost to the letter, with changes as were needed today. We went to the apartment, unloaded, showered, shaved, etc such to look and smell like we had not ridden a train all night. We then had a chance to rest while Victor raced around town as is typical. He had many papers to gather and to schedule meetings. He truly is a very good man who works very hard for us. While he did this, we honored him by getting some additional rest. Are we respectful or what!
I will cover the day as best I can, but missing something is very easy!
We drove to the inspector’s office where she was waiting and prepared for our case. I wish we had known what to expect, but it played out well any way. She spoke with Victor reviewed our stack’o stuff, and then asked us how we met the child, why a Ukraine child, and what was the last day we seen each other. I fumbled at the end… “uh… 1st of Sept, end of August”, which was okay. I then remembered it was their first day of school! “Victor, it was their first day of school”, he verified it again with me and then told her it was “the day of knowledge”… we celebrated together that morning before our group left. I think this pleased her that we were there together.
Shack hands, talk talk talk… and with inspector in hand, we were WISKED AWAY to the orphanage. As we approached, I could feel the essence of last year. I could feel the children we met with and enjoyed… this was where we spent so many glorious hours together. We got out of the cab and I felt like I was home (yes, this is sappy--- I mean Terry writing today) when I heard “Terry!” and Coasta came over and hugged me. We we’re led in the back way because school is out, so only the back door is open now.
We went to Ekaterina’s office and waited for a family to finish business and leave. Then we got to go in. Ekatarina will always be special in my heart and mind. She cares for these children and loves them all. While trying to spread and show love on an individual basis to as many children as she has is impossible, she was excited and eager to discuss Alina with us. We all took our seats and the doctor and Alina were summoned to the office. The doctor entered, and behind her, an Alina that was 9 months older and still just as special as the day I left. My heart was torn when Ekatarina told her to get out because it was not time for her to be in the room yet. Alina made a “WAAAA!” kind of protest and left the room.
The inspector spoke and put the issue before us all: Ekatarina, Victor, Jennifer, the school doctor, and myself. Once done, Ekatarina asked for a medical report. The doctor had an analysis of her past year to include all of her visits to other doctors during the past flu season… she has a minor curve in her spine, but no other issues. The for the psychology report: She has issues from being in the institution, but noting great. Ekatarina took the controls personally and told Jennifer and I that Alina has behavior issues and she stutters when under pressure. But, if she has a home with a mother and a father where she is loved and they care about her, she should be fine because what she needs most is to be cared for individually.
They all discussed a few issues, topics, and points of order in Russian and asked if we had anything that we wanted to ask before she was let in the room so she would not hear. We said “no, nothing” with confidence as to say “no, she is our daughter without respect of the issues”. She nodded and buzzed for Alina to come back in. We waited and waited… it seems that these are the times that some people need to use the restroom because of the tension. Alina was one of them.
Finally she came back in the room… I worked over to great her with a hug, and then let her go to her seat directly across from me. I knew what was on the way, so I held on and watched. The inspector and director explained that we were there to petition for her adoption… “do you want to go with them, live in their home, and be their daughter?” “Da.” (what a lovely sound)… “You will leave and never come home… you will not see your friends here anymore…”, etc in scolding tones. It’s hard, but I wanted it to be so it was a clear choice. “Da...” with a pause as if to say “didn’t you hear me”. Then the BIG KNIFE came out, the one that could go deep into all our hearts came out. “Alina! You have a grandmother that you know, still see, and will leave behind. Does your grandmother know that you want to leave!” (this has been the issue that made her waffle so badly) “Da”, “do you still want to go with these people and not return...?” It was now like watching a movie that your heart is being torn by. I watched her eyes moving back and forth and her head turning as she looked at those speaking to her. She looked at the inspector and said “DA!”, then to Ekatarina and said (in Russian) “I know this, I want to go with Terry and Jennifer, (da)yes, I want to go!”
The interrogation ended. The inspector and the director shifted gears to go over the records to ensure that there are no issues to stop her from going with us. They found some issues that need followed up on and started to debate with Victor how to handle it. They busted out the code of Ukraine at the table and started looking for ensuring the adoption can go through the court system without failure or delay. I will not go into details, but I feel God is at our back like the winds on a tail sail ship. Victor is making contacts with lawyer to help and the inspector has taken a special interest in ensuring it moves through. We could not ask for more than this for support. It was great, some of the things they discussed were details and they would ask Alina questions and she was helping them figure out the solutions. One time she started reading the code of Ukraine so she could understand what they were talking about.
Finally, we were told to just go play… visit the market, etc while they all worked together. So, we went across the street to the market (not the one we went to on the missions trip) and walked the isles looking for things to buy. Alina didn’t ask for anything. She kept picking out stuff and asking if we wanted it. We settled on a several things, some just to make her happy and let her know we seen her looking out for us. We went into another store and bought some nail polish things, flip flops, Then back to the orphanage.
Victor came out a few moments later and let us know that we needed to go to the notary, so we flew across town. He and the notary created the documents he needed for the inspector, to petition the court, and to petition for our second child. It felt like an eternity, but we had the three documents and 1 copy of each notarized and back to the orphanage. We spent only a few minutes there and talked to some children, then off to the inspector’s office again. She reviewed the documents and did a bunch of signing and sealing with 2 other ladies, and then we went down to the chief of Zaporizyahs office and waited for an audience. Victor and the inspector found some details that need fixing, but nothing to stop us. And eventually we were asked into the chief’s office where a deputy chief was there to speak with us. She asked us very specific questions about where and when we met her, why does Jennifer want to adopt a child she just met, etc. I explained the mission trip and the love of a father I had for her and how I could not let her graduate without a family, etc. She talked for a while after we could tell she had made her decision and thanked us for opening our home and loving these children. I said that I thank God that he lets us, Jennifer stated her agreement in her own words, and she was very happy.
So now BACK! To the orphanage. We spent more time there and seen several more children. There are not many there today because many are visiting family and just staying in their rooms. I got to get some good hugs, squeezes, and thumb wars in and we were told that there would be no room on the bus tomorrow for us to go to the water park. The wind was taken out of my sails… I thought quickly that there must be a reason; it is not of God to take something away less there be a reason (Katina! Stop yelling Amen! All the time) Then we were told that the director and her child will follow the bus in a taxi and we were welcome to join her and split the fare (okay, we’ll pay the entire fare) and we said certainly.
We wrapped it up, hugs all around, climbed into our cab and went to Pow-Wow… I cannot believe it’s that place where we always ate pizza on the mission trip! Victor! He said, come inside, we’ll have some pizza…. I said no pizza please something unique to Ukraine and he did. It was great. Then we came back here where Jen and I slept for about 2-1/2 hours. I woke up, caught up on my email and facebook, now this blog. Jen just woke up, so I think I’ll snooze a bit until the morning.
So, tomorrow morning: It’s up at 0630 to go to a water park 90 minutes away in Berdansk (spelling) with Ekaterina and her son all the way there and back. We will enjoy Alina and look for a boy to bring home. Almost forgot, during the meeting, the director offered a girl for us instead of a boy. Alina said “Nyet, no Duiski! Malchik” Meaning no girls, a boy… she’s now helping us to find her new brother… isn’t that just sweet!
We followed the plan almost to the letter, with changes as were needed today. We went to the apartment, unloaded, showered, shaved, etc such to look and smell like we had not ridden a train all night. We then had a chance to rest while Victor raced around town as is typical. He had many papers to gather and to schedule meetings. He truly is a very good man who works very hard for us. While he did this, we honored him by getting some additional rest. Are we respectful or what!
I will cover the day as best I can, but missing something is very easy!
We drove to the inspector’s office where she was waiting and prepared for our case. I wish we had known what to expect, but it played out well any way. She spoke with Victor reviewed our stack’o stuff, and then asked us how we met the child, why a Ukraine child, and what was the last day we seen each other. I fumbled at the end… “uh… 1st of Sept, end of August”, which was okay. I then remembered it was their first day of school! “Victor, it was their first day of school”, he verified it again with me and then told her it was “the day of knowledge”… we celebrated together that morning before our group left. I think this pleased her that we were there together.
Shack hands, talk talk talk… and with inspector in hand, we were WISKED AWAY to the orphanage. As we approached, I could feel the essence of last year. I could feel the children we met with and enjoyed… this was where we spent so many glorious hours together. We got out of the cab and I felt like I was home (yes, this is sappy--- I mean Terry writing today) when I heard “Terry!” and Coasta came over and hugged me. We we’re led in the back way because school is out, so only the back door is open now.
We went to Ekaterina’s office and waited for a family to finish business and leave. Then we got to go in. Ekatarina will always be special in my heart and mind. She cares for these children and loves them all. While trying to spread and show love on an individual basis to as many children as she has is impossible, she was excited and eager to discuss Alina with us. We all took our seats and the doctor and Alina were summoned to the office. The doctor entered, and behind her, an Alina that was 9 months older and still just as special as the day I left. My heart was torn when Ekatarina told her to get out because it was not time for her to be in the room yet. Alina made a “WAAAA!” kind of protest and left the room.
The inspector spoke and put the issue before us all: Ekatarina, Victor, Jennifer, the school doctor, and myself. Once done, Ekatarina asked for a medical report. The doctor had an analysis of her past year to include all of her visits to other doctors during the past flu season… she has a minor curve in her spine, but no other issues. The for the psychology report: She has issues from being in the institution, but noting great. Ekatarina took the controls personally and told Jennifer and I that Alina has behavior issues and she stutters when under pressure. But, if she has a home with a mother and a father where she is loved and they care about her, she should be fine because what she needs most is to be cared for individually.
They all discussed a few issues, topics, and points of order in Russian and asked if we had anything that we wanted to ask before she was let in the room so she would not hear. We said “no, nothing” with confidence as to say “no, she is our daughter without respect of the issues”. She nodded and buzzed for Alina to come back in. We waited and waited… it seems that these are the times that some people need to use the restroom because of the tension. Alina was one of them.
Finally she came back in the room… I worked over to great her with a hug, and then let her go to her seat directly across from me. I knew what was on the way, so I held on and watched. The inspector and director explained that we were there to petition for her adoption… “do you want to go with them, live in their home, and be their daughter?” “Da.” (what a lovely sound)… “You will leave and never come home… you will not see your friends here anymore…”, etc in scolding tones. It’s hard, but I wanted it to be so it was a clear choice. “Da...” with a pause as if to say “didn’t you hear me”. Then the BIG KNIFE came out, the one that could go deep into all our hearts came out. “Alina! You have a grandmother that you know, still see, and will leave behind. Does your grandmother know that you want to leave!” (this has been the issue that made her waffle so badly) “Da”, “do you still want to go with these people and not return...?” It was now like watching a movie that your heart is being torn by. I watched her eyes moving back and forth and her head turning as she looked at those speaking to her. She looked at the inspector and said “DA!”, then to Ekatarina and said (in Russian) “I know this, I want to go with Terry and Jennifer, (da)yes, I want to go!”
The interrogation ended. The inspector and the director shifted gears to go over the records to ensure that there are no issues to stop her from going with us. They found some issues that need followed up on and started to debate with Victor how to handle it. They busted out the code of Ukraine at the table and started looking for ensuring the adoption can go through the court system without failure or delay. I will not go into details, but I feel God is at our back like the winds on a tail sail ship. Victor is making contacts with lawyer to help and the inspector has taken a special interest in ensuring it moves through. We could not ask for more than this for support. It was great, some of the things they discussed were details and they would ask Alina questions and she was helping them figure out the solutions. One time she started reading the code of Ukraine so she could understand what they were talking about.
Finally, we were told to just go play… visit the market, etc while they all worked together. So, we went across the street to the market (not the one we went to on the missions trip) and walked the isles looking for things to buy. Alina didn’t ask for anything. She kept picking out stuff and asking if we wanted it. We settled on a several things, some just to make her happy and let her know we seen her looking out for us. We went into another store and bought some nail polish things, flip flops, Then back to the orphanage.
Victor came out a few moments later and let us know that we needed to go to the notary, so we flew across town. He and the notary created the documents he needed for the inspector, to petition the court, and to petition for our second child. It felt like an eternity, but we had the three documents and 1 copy of each notarized and back to the orphanage. We spent only a few minutes there and talked to some children, then off to the inspector’s office again. She reviewed the documents and did a bunch of signing and sealing with 2 other ladies, and then we went down to the chief of Zaporizyahs office and waited for an audience. Victor and the inspector found some details that need fixing, but nothing to stop us. And eventually we were asked into the chief’s office where a deputy chief was there to speak with us. She asked us very specific questions about where and when we met her, why does Jennifer want to adopt a child she just met, etc. I explained the mission trip and the love of a father I had for her and how I could not let her graduate without a family, etc. She talked for a while after we could tell she had made her decision and thanked us for opening our home and loving these children. I said that I thank God that he lets us, Jennifer stated her agreement in her own words, and she was very happy.
So now BACK! To the orphanage. We spent more time there and seen several more children. There are not many there today because many are visiting family and just staying in their rooms. I got to get some good hugs, squeezes, and thumb wars in and we were told that there would be no room on the bus tomorrow for us to go to the water park. The wind was taken out of my sails… I thought quickly that there must be a reason; it is not of God to take something away less there be a reason (Katina! Stop yelling Amen! All the time) Then we were told that the director and her child will follow the bus in a taxi and we were welcome to join her and split the fare (okay, we’ll pay the entire fare) and we said certainly.
We wrapped it up, hugs all around, climbed into our cab and went to Pow-Wow… I cannot believe it’s that place where we always ate pizza on the mission trip! Victor! He said, come inside, we’ll have some pizza…. I said no pizza please something unique to Ukraine and he did. It was great. Then we came back here where Jen and I slept for about 2-1/2 hours. I woke up, caught up on my email and facebook, now this blog. Jen just woke up, so I think I’ll snooze a bit until the morning.
So, tomorrow morning: It’s up at 0630 to go to a water park 90 minutes away in Berdansk (spelling) with Ekaterina and her son all the way there and back. We will enjoy Alina and look for a boy to bring home. Almost forgot, during the meeting, the director offered a girl for us instead of a boy. Alina said “Nyet, no Duiski! Malchik” Meaning no girls, a boy… she’s now helping us to find her new brother… isn’t that just sweet!
The days are a little blurry as we have had trouble adjusting to the time change being awake when we should be asleep, and asleep when we should be awake. Today (Wednesday) is getting close to being more stable with that respect. This is good, as we will be leaving on the overnight train tonight and if we don’t sleep well, tomorrow will not be a good day, and it should be our best.
This is the day that we are to receive our referral from the SDA so that we may travel to Zaporiziyah to meet with the inspector and Alina. We have been working all this time to get here at different levels. So much effort so far has been focused on getting the appointment because of all the papers and documents needed to obtain an appointment. Stamps, seals, records, etc… all that effort just to get the meeting we had yesterday. But, the meeting we had yesterday was so that we could obtain the referral, the key to being able to go see Alina and officially ask her to become our daughter. This, is why we came to Keiv, and this is what we are waiting for before we leave. Something this valuable, this important must surely be much more serious to receive than the meeting yesterday.
You might think so, but you’d be wrong. We spent the morning getting ready by cleaning the apartment, repacking our bags, and getting ready in general for getting the referral and jumping on the train. As is typical, we had a great plan that changed several times as Victor is working to juggle some things at home with his son, a situation with another friends package that will cause a delay, and our process. The man works hard and I wish he knew how much we appreciate what he is doing for us.
So, I spent a great deal of the afternoon scurrying about going from bank to bank trying to find ones that would take our ‘bad’ bills and exchange them for grievnas so we could fully vest our efforts. Eventually I came to a point where I felt I was there and returned to the packing. Victor came to the apartment with plenty of time to spare, so we sat and traded funds for about 45 minutes… so many dollars for the fee, use so many greivnas to get there and so many dollars for the train tickets… it was fun! We were passing back and forth blue, yellow, red, and green bills like crazy. I turned to Jennifer and asked, “you don’t have park place don’t you?”… I guess you’d have to see the stacks of colorful money to get that one.
Finally, the apartment manager showed up so we could turn it back over to him and we left. The three of us walked to the SDA talking about all sorts of things. Victor is not only our facilitator, but he is our planner, our guide, and our inside advisor on what Alina will be experiencing and needing from us. We arrived at the SDA, were several people were coming out and several more were waiting. We had expected to see somebody as before, but this big event was simply to wait in line, show our passports, and sign for the referral, then leave. It was kind of like checking out a library book or something.
So with the referral in hand, Victor having the train tickets, we were off to the train station and McDonalds! Me, I could do without McDonalds, I am on the other side of the world… could I not find something better than our nations gift to the world of burgers stamped out like so many small meals created on an assembly line. Oh well, once or twice will not hurt. The awesome part was getting to be someplace (besides the airport) that I knew! I seen the pizza place from last year’s trip and yearned inside so much to go to the roof and sit at the same tables and relive what had happened there just 9 months earlier. Instead, I went into McDonalds for a new adventure. We sat and talked about so many aspects of what we were about to do, from the how’s and when’s, to the time when we get home. Victor helped us with Russian a little and I mistakenly trusted him a little to far when I was trying to ask him the proper way to pronounce the phrase for “I purchase/buy ___”, Yak u-poo-piyat, an he had me say “Ya koo-koo”, told me that it was correct, and so I said it a few times confused trying to figure out how incorrect I had been before until I asked him, “that means I am koo-koo, what’s koo-koo?” then he had to start smiling and I realized he got me to say that I was crazy several times. Victor is fun!
So, through the beautiful train station… what an awesome entry port this building is. Amtrack should just drop it’s head in shame. We found our train, got on, settled in a bit, and after it started rolling we went to the window and just watched the country side roll by. Mile after mile (oh, sorry… kilometer after kilometer – these guys don’t use ancient metrics) of farm lands, forests, rivers, and villages all mixed together in a tapestry of beauty. Ukraine is such a lovely place. I would not hesitate to desire to come here just for the beauty of the land alone.
After night fell over the land and Victor took the chance to get some sleep ahead of my planned snore-fest, I prepared our bunks. Jennifer and I went in, took some Tylenol PMs to be sure to help set our bio-clocks, and we went to bed… well aside from the hour Sudoku she played that is. About 4:15, I woke to us rolling into a huge industrial town. Where I chose to start writing this for you. I will attempt to post it after we check into our apartment, but that may not happen. In either case, here is the game plan:
1. Check into the apartment.
2. Shower, change, and get out the door in 20 minutes.
3. Meet with the inspector.
4. Go to the orphanage and meet with the director.
5. Meet with Alina – our face to face encounter for her to be officially asked about the adoption.
It’s now 5:45 in the morning. We are to meet with her at 11:00. So, there are only about 5 more hours of waiting. Do I think this will go as planned? NO! Not because everything always changes, but because Alina has called Victor several times in the past few days asking when we would be there. A few times yesterday as a matter of fact. She knows we’re arriving about 11:00… so, there will most likely be a step 4.5: Get attack by a very sweet, girl who has been waiting for this day as long as we have.
Well, they just popped in to say we’ll be there in 30 minutes, so time to stop blogging and look as some more countryside before we get there.
This is the day that we are to receive our referral from the SDA so that we may travel to Zaporiziyah to meet with the inspector and Alina. We have been working all this time to get here at different levels. So much effort so far has been focused on getting the appointment because of all the papers and documents needed to obtain an appointment. Stamps, seals, records, etc… all that effort just to get the meeting we had yesterday. But, the meeting we had yesterday was so that we could obtain the referral, the key to being able to go see Alina and officially ask her to become our daughter. This, is why we came to Keiv, and this is what we are waiting for before we leave. Something this valuable, this important must surely be much more serious to receive than the meeting yesterday.
You might think so, but you’d be wrong. We spent the morning getting ready by cleaning the apartment, repacking our bags, and getting ready in general for getting the referral and jumping on the train. As is typical, we had a great plan that changed several times as Victor is working to juggle some things at home with his son, a situation with another friends package that will cause a delay, and our process. The man works hard and I wish he knew how much we appreciate what he is doing for us.
So, I spent a great deal of the afternoon scurrying about going from bank to bank trying to find ones that would take our ‘bad’ bills and exchange them for grievnas so we could fully vest our efforts. Eventually I came to a point where I felt I was there and returned to the packing. Victor came to the apartment with plenty of time to spare, so we sat and traded funds for about 45 minutes… so many dollars for the fee, use so many greivnas to get there and so many dollars for the train tickets… it was fun! We were passing back and forth blue, yellow, red, and green bills like crazy. I turned to Jennifer and asked, “you don’t have park place don’t you?”… I guess you’d have to see the stacks of colorful money to get that one.
Finally, the apartment manager showed up so we could turn it back over to him and we left. The three of us walked to the SDA talking about all sorts of things. Victor is not only our facilitator, but he is our planner, our guide, and our inside advisor on what Alina will be experiencing and needing from us. We arrived at the SDA, were several people were coming out and several more were waiting. We had expected to see somebody as before, but this big event was simply to wait in line, show our passports, and sign for the referral, then leave. It was kind of like checking out a library book or something.
So with the referral in hand, Victor having the train tickets, we were off to the train station and McDonalds! Me, I could do without McDonalds, I am on the other side of the world… could I not find something better than our nations gift to the world of burgers stamped out like so many small meals created on an assembly line. Oh well, once or twice will not hurt. The awesome part was getting to be someplace (besides the airport) that I knew! I seen the pizza place from last year’s trip and yearned inside so much to go to the roof and sit at the same tables and relive what had happened there just 9 months earlier. Instead, I went into McDonalds for a new adventure. We sat and talked about so many aspects of what we were about to do, from the how’s and when’s, to the time when we get home. Victor helped us with Russian a little and I mistakenly trusted him a little to far when I was trying to ask him the proper way to pronounce the phrase for “I purchase/buy ___”, Yak u-poo-piyat, an he had me say “Ya koo-koo”, told me that it was correct, and so I said it a few times confused trying to figure out how incorrect I had been before until I asked him, “that means I am koo-koo, what’s koo-koo?” then he had to start smiling and I realized he got me to say that I was crazy several times. Victor is fun!
So, through the beautiful train station… what an awesome entry port this building is. Amtrack should just drop it’s head in shame. We found our train, got on, settled in a bit, and after it started rolling we went to the window and just watched the country side roll by. Mile after mile (oh, sorry… kilometer after kilometer – these guys don’t use ancient metrics) of farm lands, forests, rivers, and villages all mixed together in a tapestry of beauty. Ukraine is such a lovely place. I would not hesitate to desire to come here just for the beauty of the land alone.
After night fell over the land and Victor took the chance to get some sleep ahead of my planned snore-fest, I prepared our bunks. Jennifer and I went in, took some Tylenol PMs to be sure to help set our bio-clocks, and we went to bed… well aside from the hour Sudoku she played that is. About 4:15, I woke to us rolling into a huge industrial town. Where I chose to start writing this for you. I will attempt to post it after we check into our apartment, but that may not happen. In either case, here is the game plan:
1. Check into the apartment.
2. Shower, change, and get out the door in 20 minutes.
3. Meet with the inspector.
4. Go to the orphanage and meet with the director.
5. Meet with Alina – our face to face encounter for her to be officially asked about the adoption.
It’s now 5:45 in the morning. We are to meet with her at 11:00. So, there are only about 5 more hours of waiting. Do I think this will go as planned? NO! Not because everything always changes, but because Alina has called Victor several times in the past few days asking when we would be there. A few times yesterday as a matter of fact. She knows we’re arriving about 11:00… so, there will most likely be a step 4.5: Get attack by a very sweet, girl who has been waiting for this day as long as we have.
Well, they just popped in to say we’ll be there in 30 minutes, so time to stop blogging and look as some more countryside before we get there.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Hanging Out in Kiev
Wow, I think we are still having a hard time adjusting to the local time. We are 7 hours ahead here and I want to sleep because my body says it is the early am hours (US) and it is like 10:30 am here. Then it is 2:30 am here and I want to be awake. I think about the time I am used to the routine...it will be time to come home. The couple across the hall left for the orphanage they were going to this am. They had heard horror stories about rowdy, drunk people on the train and decided to fly instead. I am not so worried. Well in case you don't know we are meeting with the SDA in a few hours to sign papers and then will get on a train to Zap. I am not sure when we will be able to blog again. We are using internet available here in the apartment, but don't know what to expect in the future. We expect to be coming back to Kiev for another referral Monday or Tuesday for the second child. We have a handful of boys in mind, but we are letting God select one for us. More on that later. We are in walking distance from the SDA and would like to be in this area again if possible.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Ukraine says YES
Today was a milestone in our process. It’s funny how we tend to talk about “our” adoption when we think and share with others. We do, but, we never define what we mean when we say “our” adoption. When we say “our”, it is all of our family to include our new child. It is like a wedding, it’s not the bride or the groom, but both. In addition, the entire family on both sides becomes one family through the new union. Or like with a birth, people say the “our” baby was born. It’s not their baby, but that of their family and all those who came before them such as grandparents, etc. The word is not an expression of possession or of the legal status of the petitioners, but of the family… all of us, including the child.
Today, we went to the SDA for the first time. We were actually running late because our phone had the incorrect local time. When we found out, we were stricken with fear. Fortunately we are close to the SDA and had been getting ready early when we were called by Julia who was going to take us into the SDA. We finished getting ready and took a brisk walk through the city to the simple door at the end of a building where we are permitted to enter. It is also the only government office I have seen that does not have a blue sign, but instead, it has a polished brass sign.
We called Julia who we actually walked past to get to the door and she joined us. We entered thinking that we would go to a waiting room, but instead, we waited at the bottom of a stair well. We were there for about 10 minutes wondering if they would call us in and eventually Julia called to see if they were still expecting us and somebody called for us to come up after another family left, it seemed that their appointment took longer than they expected. We were 5 minutes early and had been working on this for 7 months, so the few minutes didn’t bother us. We went upstairs, into an office space, and back into a smaller personal office of the physiologist.
At this time, it’s official questions time: Passports out, do you wish to adopt Alina Dudka? Then, to be sure, we are to review her file so we know what issues she has. We learned of all the things that brought her where she is and why she is available for adoption. We heard rumors, but we know for certain what the major events in her life have brought her. Every orphan will have a story. None will be without pain. We learned for sure the pain of Alina’s to include seeing her father’s death certificate. This is our daughter, and so, this is now our pain that we will give her comfort. We discussed her medical condition and her extended family. Once all this was finished, again they asked: do you wish to adopt Alina Dudka? The answer of course was yes. We had some other discussions that we will share at a later time. We were then told that we will have a referral drafted so that we could travel to see an inspector to see if she wishes to be adopted by us.
After the appointment, we stopped for a few minutes, because honestly, sappy held himself together very well as the most intimate details of our daughters life unfolded, felt her pain, and were told we could seek her out as our daughter. It was time for the sappy to burst out, and his wife enjoyed holding him for a few minutes where we were not in open view of the public.
In the wedding analogy, we had just gotten an answer from the bride’s father that yes, we could ask for her had. We may now seek to bring our families together.
We left to go change, eat, and continue with our day. We went looking for a restaurant suggested by Julia and eventually gave up. Future visitors should bring city maps with notes on where to find certain places because knowing a little Russian is not as helpful as you might think. We asked directions from a few people, and found that they speak Russian, Ukraine, and we asked directions from one family that ended up being from Brazil. That was funny because I was asking if they speak English and they said they don’t speak Russian! (hee hee) We did learn how to find the street signs, as they are only on poles at large intersections, elsewhere; they are on the walls of buildings.
We eventually settled on a Turkish looking restaurant, but it may have been Moroccan. It was pretty good… we were looking for Ukraine, but it was good. Jennifer got her tomatoes and cucumbers, and Terry got to discover a new food in this cool rope cheese, so we both got what we wanted.
Now, off to the market and then home. We have laundry to do and preparing for packing to get done. Tomorrow will be the beginning of a decathlon. We will check out of our apartment before noon, take our luggage to secure storage at the train station, then to the SDA for our referral. After the referral, we will eat, go to the train, and ride to Zaporizeyah. Once there, it’s to a new apartment, clean up, to the inspector, to the orphanage, and then its water park time. Because of our intense schedule, Victor will be working hard while we are having fun with Alina… please pray for him and his family.
We stopped at the big underground mall looking for Russian worship music or DVDs in Russian to watch at home with them. We found no worship music, but some good Disney movies in Russian to share at home. We watched the emperor’s new groove as we drifted off at nap time. It’s great for us to hear the Russian and see the subtitles… if you’re trying to learn Russian, it’s exciting to see what your learning in action and learn how to use the words properly.
It is an awesome thing to see that you are in the hand of God. He is doing more than just giving us one or two more children. As with the mission trip last year, reaching out with God’s love is an incredible responsibility and in no way do we have a right or privilege to consider these children ‘ours’, or that we are what they need and we are doing them a favor. It’s close to the opposite. God is letting us take on the responsibility of not only providing a home, food, and education to these children, but we must help them cope with their past and bring them before the Lord, teaching them of His ways, His desires for their lives, and of His love for them. Bringing them home and giving them things they were never able to have will only make them selfish and like most other Americans that do not see what God has given to them as an awesome gift. We are responsible for showing them their place in God’s plan, something most of us cannot even do for ourselves.
I pray that we seek His direction and will so that these children will not only have a home, but that they will grow to a full knowledge of Him and one day will be see Him as He is, as one of His children.
That may be a little spiritually thinking for many, but it is the real reason we are here. And as God is such an awesome father, He gives us all gifts as we seek His will… so yeah, we will enjoy the family, the fun, and the excitement and challenges… but, it has but one reason that we are here: to seek and fulfill His will.
Thank you Father!
Today, we went to the SDA for the first time. We were actually running late because our phone had the incorrect local time. When we found out, we were stricken with fear. Fortunately we are close to the SDA and had been getting ready early when we were called by Julia who was going to take us into the SDA. We finished getting ready and took a brisk walk through the city to the simple door at the end of a building where we are permitted to enter. It is also the only government office I have seen that does not have a blue sign, but instead, it has a polished brass sign.
We called Julia who we actually walked past to get to the door and she joined us. We entered thinking that we would go to a waiting room, but instead, we waited at the bottom of a stair well. We were there for about 10 minutes wondering if they would call us in and eventually Julia called to see if they were still expecting us and somebody called for us to come up after another family left, it seemed that their appointment took longer than they expected. We were 5 minutes early and had been working on this for 7 months, so the few minutes didn’t bother us. We went upstairs, into an office space, and back into a smaller personal office of the physiologist.
At this time, it’s official questions time: Passports out, do you wish to adopt Alina Dudka? Then, to be sure, we are to review her file so we know what issues she has. We learned of all the things that brought her where she is and why she is available for adoption. We heard rumors, but we know for certain what the major events in her life have brought her. Every orphan will have a story. None will be without pain. We learned for sure the pain of Alina’s to include seeing her father’s death certificate. This is our daughter, and so, this is now our pain that we will give her comfort. We discussed her medical condition and her extended family. Once all this was finished, again they asked: do you wish to adopt Alina Dudka? The answer of course was yes. We had some other discussions that we will share at a later time. We were then told that we will have a referral drafted so that we could travel to see an inspector to see if she wishes to be adopted by us.
After the appointment, we stopped for a few minutes, because honestly, sappy held himself together very well as the most intimate details of our daughters life unfolded, felt her pain, and were told we could seek her out as our daughter. It was time for the sappy to burst out, and his wife enjoyed holding him for a few minutes where we were not in open view of the public.
In the wedding analogy, we had just gotten an answer from the bride’s father that yes, we could ask for her had. We may now seek to bring our families together.
We left to go change, eat, and continue with our day. We went looking for a restaurant suggested by Julia and eventually gave up. Future visitors should bring city maps with notes on where to find certain places because knowing a little Russian is not as helpful as you might think. We asked directions from a few people, and found that they speak Russian, Ukraine, and we asked directions from one family that ended up being from Brazil. That was funny because I was asking if they speak English and they said they don’t speak Russian! (hee hee) We did learn how to find the street signs, as they are only on poles at large intersections, elsewhere; they are on the walls of buildings.
We eventually settled on a Turkish looking restaurant, but it may have been Moroccan. It was pretty good… we were looking for Ukraine, but it was good. Jennifer got her tomatoes and cucumbers, and Terry got to discover a new food in this cool rope cheese, so we both got what we wanted.
Now, off to the market and then home. We have laundry to do and preparing for packing to get done. Tomorrow will be the beginning of a decathlon. We will check out of our apartment before noon, take our luggage to secure storage at the train station, then to the SDA for our referral. After the referral, we will eat, go to the train, and ride to Zaporizeyah. Once there, it’s to a new apartment, clean up, to the inspector, to the orphanage, and then its water park time. Because of our intense schedule, Victor will be working hard while we are having fun with Alina… please pray for him and his family.
We stopped at the big underground mall looking for Russian worship music or DVDs in Russian to watch at home with them. We found no worship music, but some good Disney movies in Russian to share at home. We watched the emperor’s new groove as we drifted off at nap time. It’s great for us to hear the Russian and see the subtitles… if you’re trying to learn Russian, it’s exciting to see what your learning in action and learn how to use the words properly.
It is an awesome thing to see that you are in the hand of God. He is doing more than just giving us one or two more children. As with the mission trip last year, reaching out with God’s love is an incredible responsibility and in no way do we have a right or privilege to consider these children ‘ours’, or that we are what they need and we are doing them a favor. It’s close to the opposite. God is letting us take on the responsibility of not only providing a home, food, and education to these children, but we must help them cope with their past and bring them before the Lord, teaching them of His ways, His desires for their lives, and of His love for them. Bringing them home and giving them things they were never able to have will only make them selfish and like most other Americans that do not see what God has given to them as an awesome gift. We are responsible for showing them their place in God’s plan, something most of us cannot even do for ourselves.
I pray that we seek His direction and will so that these children will not only have a home, but that they will grow to a full knowledge of Him and one day will be see Him as He is, as one of His children.
That may be a little spiritually thinking for many, but it is the real reason we are here. And as God is such an awesome father, He gives us all gifts as we seek His will… so yeah, we will enjoy the family, the fun, and the excitement and challenges… but, it has but one reason that we are here: to seek and fulfill His will.
Thank you Father!
Monday, June 7, 2010
In Kiev
Well we have been in Kiev for 24 hours now. We flew from Richmond at 10:30 am on June 5th and had an 8 hour layover in JFK airport which wasn’t too bad, but after we boarded the plane “Aerosvit” to fly to Ukraine we had an 1 1/2 to 2 hour delay on the tarmac for some unknown reason. Our plane left some time after 9 pm (local time) or so from JFK and we flew for 10-11 hours. It was pretty cool…there was this TV monitor that showed a little airplane on a map so we had a general idea what we were flying over at all times. I felt a little uneasy flying for such a long time (11 hours is a long time non stop) and knowing the pilot/s would be flying all night long. I am sure they get tired at night! What if they fall asleep at the wheel or in this case controls? Well God is good because at 5 am (EST) and 11 am local Ukraine time we landed safe and sound. Terry says he didn’t sleep much on the flight, but says I sleep a lot, but I didn’t feel well rested at all. It kind of felt like I lost time, gained time or time traveled? I am not sure which, but I really couldn’t tell you what today’s date is. This is how Kirk felt on Star Trek when he beamed himself to different planets and places I am sure about that.
Once we got to Kiev we paid the extra $50 per person to get through customs, which was worth it over all. We bumped into the Dalton family at baggage claims coming from Chesapeake, VA on a mission’s trip. I meant to get their number or address, but forgot too. I can’t remember what orphanage they were going to, but they had adopted 2-3 times from this country and knew Victor. The airport is just outside the main city of Kiev. I was very excited to be here and think this country is very beautiful. The buildings are very old. Not many people can really say they have been to Ukraine! How awesome and lucky we are! I usually am a good judge of character….and I liked Victor right away!! I think he is honest and I like that. We took a taxi to our apartment that is on the back part of a building. To get in you must have a 3 # pin to open the first door, then unlock a second door to a hall of three other apartments, then unlock the door to our apartment. It is very dark in the hallway until you get into the apartment. In the hallway and right across the hall is a couple from Georgia to adopt an 11 year old from another distant orphanage. I don’t remember where. It was kind of comical….Terry or Victor hit a couple of wrong buttons on the elevator and for a few minutes we got stuck in a dark elevator!!! I am still leery of that thing!! For starters it is hung by ropes, not cables and is not very big. It was a squeeze with Victor, Terry and myself in it! It looks like it was built in the 1930’s. Victor showed us around town. He took us to exchange American dollars to grivnas and then we went to the underground mall, got a prepaid cell phone and ate a late lunch. The food is good here. We had cabbage, eggplant and zucchini rolls, assorted salads with mayo and coke. It is a bit of a shock walking around with everyone talking a mile a minute and you don’t know what they are saying. We walked around town some more and Victor took us to the open market and showed us where the SDA is. Our appointment is tomorrow at 12 pm. Lastly, Victor took us to the food market/grocery store. It is really small…not like Food Lion or Farm Fresh at all. We have way more selections then they do. We got ourselves a few groceries to take back to the apartment. Victor helped us get some ham, milk not sour cream, water without seltzer and a few other items. We may go to a Ukraine “Starbucks” in a little while. Terry can remotely log into his office computer and is working right now.
Yesterday we were in the apartment talking with Victor about our plans and Alina called Victor on his cell phone to make sure we were here. On the 11th the orphanage is going to a water park and she would like us to go with her. Victor said he would be very busy with paperwork, but Terry and I would be available to go. I am glad I asked Terry if I should bring my swimsuit. Terry with twinkles in eyes said, “I didn’t know we’d come all this way to go to Water Country.” I am very excited to meet my daughter and can’t wait!
By the way, please pray for Victor’s son because he is sick. He will be going to the “big” hospital all day tomorrow having tests done on his kidneys. Some days he doesn’t use the bathroom and on others he goes all day long. I am sure Victor is worried about his son!
Once we got to Kiev we paid the extra $50 per person to get through customs, which was worth it over all. We bumped into the Dalton family at baggage claims coming from Chesapeake, VA on a mission’s trip. I meant to get their number or address, but forgot too. I can’t remember what orphanage they were going to, but they had adopted 2-3 times from this country and knew Victor. The airport is just outside the main city of Kiev. I was very excited to be here and think this country is very beautiful. The buildings are very old. Not many people can really say they have been to Ukraine! How awesome and lucky we are! I usually am a good judge of character….and I liked Victor right away!! I think he is honest and I like that. We took a taxi to our apartment that is on the back part of a building. To get in you must have a 3 # pin to open the first door, then unlock a second door to a hall of three other apartments, then unlock the door to our apartment. It is very dark in the hallway until you get into the apartment. In the hallway and right across the hall is a couple from Georgia to adopt an 11 year old from another distant orphanage. I don’t remember where. It was kind of comical….Terry or Victor hit a couple of wrong buttons on the elevator and for a few minutes we got stuck in a dark elevator!!! I am still leery of that thing!! For starters it is hung by ropes, not cables and is not very big. It was a squeeze with Victor, Terry and myself in it! It looks like it was built in the 1930’s. Victor showed us around town. He took us to exchange American dollars to grivnas and then we went to the underground mall, got a prepaid cell phone and ate a late lunch. The food is good here. We had cabbage, eggplant and zucchini rolls, assorted salads with mayo and coke. It is a bit of a shock walking around with everyone talking a mile a minute and you don’t know what they are saying. We walked around town some more and Victor took us to the open market and showed us where the SDA is. Our appointment is tomorrow at 12 pm. Lastly, Victor took us to the food market/grocery store. It is really small…not like Food Lion or Farm Fresh at all. We have way more selections then they do. We got ourselves a few groceries to take back to the apartment. Victor helped us get some ham, milk not sour cream, water without seltzer and a few other items. We may go to a Ukraine “Starbucks” in a little while. Terry can remotely log into his office computer and is working right now.
Yesterday we were in the apartment talking with Victor about our plans and Alina called Victor on his cell phone to make sure we were here. On the 11th the orphanage is going to a water park and she would like us to go with her. Victor said he would be very busy with paperwork, but Terry and I would be available to go. I am glad I asked Terry if I should bring my swimsuit. Terry with twinkles in eyes said, “I didn’t know we’d come all this way to go to Water Country.” I am very excited to meet my daughter and can’t wait!
By the way, please pray for Victor’s son because he is sick. He will be going to the “big” hospital all day tomorrow having tests done on his kidneys. Some days he doesn’t use the bathroom and on others he goes all day long. I am sure Victor is worried about his son!
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